Woman, 60, accused of bashing man with metal pipe

Peter Hardwick
Reporter
Peter started in 1976 as apprentice typesetter/comp and has 32 years with The Chronicle in three stints (in between working/holidays in UK/Europe, Brisbane and Melbourne). Entered editorial from comp room in 1996.

A WOMAN accused of striking a man across the face with a metal pipe, causing serious facial injuries, has spent another night in police custody.

Penelope Coppola, who turned 60 in custody on Tuesday, had spent the night in the police watch house after her arrest on Tuesday on charges of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed, entering a dwelling with intent and contravening a domestic violence order.

She was due to appear in Toowoomba Magistrates Court yesterday. However, police prosecutor Sergeant Mike Robinson told the court the 60-year-old had taken ill in the watch house and had been taken to Toowoomba Hospital for treatment and where she remained under police guard.

Police claim Coppola struck the 63-year-old complainant man across the face with a metal pipe at a Crows Nest residence on Monday.

While no details of the alleged incident were aired in court, police have claimed the man and woman are known to each other.

Coppola has not as yet been required to enter any pleas to the charges.

Her solicitor Elizabeth Adams (Kennedy Spanner Lawyers) told the court, given the circumstances, she would ask that the case be adjourned overnight.

Sergeant Robinson said police would be objecting to bail when the defendant eventually appeared in court.

There being no application for bail, Magistrate Damian Carroll remanded Coppola in custody and adjourned the matter for mention in the same court Thursday morning.